Monday, September 30, 2019

Film Comparative Analysis

Film Comparative Analysis â€Å"The general response following the screening was a distinct realization that nobody is above the law, and that the stereotypes associated with the â€Å"cono† nearly left Larranaga guilty as mistakenly charged. † (Syjuco, 2012) There is no justice, when innocent men are in jail; this is the main idea that the two films have in common. With this, let us ask ourselves, â€Å"Is there really something wrong with the Philippine and Texas justice system? Are we to admit that it is a corrupt system that we have? These two films will leave our eyes wide opened to the truth or if not, to the flaws and corruptions in the justice system, not only of our own country, but also that of the others. I. Background Give Up Tomorrow The documentary film is about a Filipino-Spanish student named Paco Larranaga, who was sentenced to death in 2004 for the double murder and rape of Chiong sisters (Marijoy and Jacqueline) in 1997. This is the story of what we now know as the Chiong Murder Case, a cebu scandal of the century.Two Chiong sisters go missing on July 16, 1997. Larranaga was one, along with six other suspects who was pinpointed by the state witness, David Rusia. David Rusia is a convicted felon and was sentenced to prison twice in the United States for other crimes. As claimed by Rusia, he was with Larranaga in Ayala Center, Cebu early in the evening of July 16, that evening Larranaga says that he was at R&R Restaurant in Quezon City with his friends; such fact was proven by photographs and the testimonies of his friends.The defense presented thirty-five witnesses, including Larranaga’s teachers and classmates at the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) in Quezon City, who all testified under oath that Larranaga was in Quezon City, when the crime is said to have taken place in Cebu. The trial court considered these testimonies irrelevant, rejecting these as coming from â€Å"friends of the accused,† and were not admitte d. The following are also evidences presented by the defense during trial — a)Larranaga, at that time was at a party at the R&R Restaurant along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, and stayed there until early morning the following day. )After the party, the logbook of the security guard at Larranaga's condominium indicates that Larranaga returned to his Quezon City condominium at 2:45 a. m. c)Rowena Bautista, an instructor and chef at the culinary center, said Larranaga was in school from 8 a. m. to 11:30 a. m. and saw him again at about 6:30 p. m on July 16. d)The school’s registrar, Caroline Calleja, said she proctored a two-hour exam where Larranaga was present from 1:30 p. m. Larranaga attended his second round of midterm exams on July 17 commencing at 8 a. m. Only then did Larranaga leave for Cebu in the late afternoon of July 17, 1997. )Airline and airport personnel also came to court with their flight records, indicating that Larranaga did not take any flight on Jul y 16, 1997, nor was he on board any chartered aircraft that landed in or departed from Cebu during the relevant dates, except the 5 p. m. PAL flight on July 17, 1997 from Manila to Cebu The aforementioned evidences did not prevent the conviction of Larranaga along with his six co-accused. The trial court judge, after rendering judgment against them, was found dead in a hotel in Cebu, and allegedly committed suicide.This unexpected event during the Chiong murder case was proven in the film to be part of the whole scheme of putting the blame on Larranaga, and concealing the truth of the facts with regard to the murder and rape of the Chion sisters. Larranaga, along with the other co-accused were sentenced to death, and appealed later on, but all of them were denied. Considering the Filipino-Spanish nationality of Larranaga, his family asked for help from the Spanish government. In September 2009, the Department of Justice approved Larranaga's transfer to a Spanish prison.Thelma Chiong , the mother of the victims, expressed shock over the decision, saying that, despite Larranaga's Spanish citizenship, â€Å"If you committed a crime in the Philippines, you are jailed in the Philippines,† despite the fact that this would constitute a breach of the treaty and thus of international law. Larranaga, escorted by two Spanish Interpol agents, left for Spain on October 6, 2009. His good behavior at the New Bilibid Prison was taken into consideration, and he will serve the rest of his sentence at the Madrid Central Penitentiary at Soto del Real. The Thin Blue LineThe film is an investigation into the 1976 murder of Dallas police officer Robert Wood. Harris testified that Adams had shot and killed Wood after their car had been pulled over on their way home from a movie. Adams claimed to know nothing of the murder, insisting that Harris had dropped him at his home two hours before it occurred. Local authorities believed Harris, and witnesses corroborated his story, lead ing to Adams’ conviction and a death sentence, (which was later on changed). Randall Adams recalls the events in detail: after running out of gas, he had been picked up by Harris in a stolen car.The two had gone to a movie where they drank beer and smoked marijuana, and this was the extent of their relationship. David Harris, on the other hand, also recalls the events of the evening in detail, but creates a much different impression. Adam’s defense attorneys thought that Harris was the killer, pointing to his past criminal record and other crimes committed the night of the murder. The film presents a series of interviews about the investigation and reenactments of the shooting, based on the testimony and recollections of Adams, Harris, and various witnesses and detectives. Two attorneys who epresented Adams at the trial where he was convicted of capital murder also appear: they suggest that Adams was charged with the crime despite the better evidence against Harris bec ause, as Harris was a juvenile, Adams alone of the two could be sentenced to death under Texas law. II. Similarities and Differences The two films both dealt on the fact that there is a corrupt justice system. That even an innocent man can be put into jail all for the sake of concealing the truth. This idea is very obvious in the films presented, that even a man of little knowledge with the law will doubt the guilt of both, Larranaga and Adams.The idea brought up by the filmmakers of both was a frame up or cover up which lead to the conviction of innocent people. The very controlling authorities in both were the police officers, the judge, and other executive officers of the government and to add, the media, influencing the course of the trial and the impression of the masses on the suspects. In both, police authorities were overwhelmed with the idea of having someone to put the blame for the murder of the victims. They were like heroes of the public for having solved the case and f ound a suspect. In which, it is very obvious that it was politically motivated.As one of the differences between the case of Larranaga and Adams, is that of having exhausted all administrative remedies. Larranaga, after being convicted in the trial court, appealed to the Supreme Court, but was not able to attain a favourable judgment. After such, taking into consideration of the dual citizenship of Larranaga, they asked for the help of Spanish government so that the death penalty be withdrawn and let him be transferred in Spain where he will serve his sentence. This however paved the way for the abolishment of death penalty by former Pres.Gloria Arroyo and the approval of Larranaga’s transfer. The cases of Larranaga and Adams both involved rights which were violated. As declared under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the following are those evidently violated in the course of the whole trial of the case, (a) Article 11, par. 1, (b) Article 9 and (c) Article 1 0. †¢Article 11, par. 1 Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.In light of this article which pertains to the right of an accused to be presumed innocent, Larranaga was outrightly charged as a criminal in the minds of the people, especially those of the Cebuanos, even before a trial was held. Aggravating this situation was the participation of the media from the start up to the end of the case, tagged as the â€Å"trial of the decade†. The impressions that were made by the police authorities and the media, contributed to the image of Larranaga as guilty of the crime charged.His identity was corroborated as a rich bad boy/gangster from a prominent family, in which the people presumed that they will make use of their resources to pay for witnesses and manipulate the whole case and avoid prosecution. As to the case of A dams, he was made fit to the image of a cop-killer as compared to Harris. The prosecution relied on the testimony of Harris that it was Adams who killed Wood, even before the start of the case, they knew already who to convict. The fact that Harris was a juvenile that time, made it more likely for Adams to commit the crime thus moving away from the presumption of his innocence. Article 9 No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. The course of Larranaga’s arrest came swift and unexpected and appeared to him as kidnapping. The people who arrested him were all in civilian clothes, though they looked like policemen. They did not identify themselves when they arrested Larranaga, until they were asked by Larranaga’s sister. They unlawfully arrested Larranaga due to absence of warrant of arrest, in defense, they said that he committed a continuing crime.As to Adams’ case, he was taken into the custody of the police few days after the commission of the crime. He was forced to sign a document containing an admission that he was the one who murdered Wood. The policeman even threatened him with a pistol if he will not sign it. There is no sufficient cause for his guilt. †¢Article 10 Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.The right to a fair and speedy trial was not accorded to Larranaga, first, the media had participated a lot in drawing the image of Larranaga as the criminal. The judge also showed his impartiality which was really unexplainable. After having refused to accept the testimonies of witnesses of Larranaga, preventing him to take the witness stand and rendered a judgment of double life imprisonment, the judge was found in a hotel dead. Through the series of events that had transpired, the fairness and impartiality of the trial cannot be said to be pres ent.As in the case of Adams, it cannot be said to have been a fair trial for him because the prosecution presented fake witnesses, in which the conviction was based. There is a biased judgment and inconsideration on the merits of the case. Adams was not able to defend himself, such conviction of him was predicated on the failure of his defense lawyer to clearly establish his innocence albeit all the frame-ups that had transpired. References: http://www. centerforsocialmedia. org/sites/default/files/documents/pages/interview_transciption_giveuptomorrow. pdf http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_Thin_Blue_Line_(film)

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Law Case Analysis

Law Case Analysis Material Facts and Source of Law The plaintiff William Shelensky was a director who owned a minority stockholder of Defendant Corporation called Chicago National League Ball Club, which operated Chicago Cubs. The Cubs had been suffering operating losses from direct baseball operations from 1961-1965. The director defendant Philip K. Wrigley who owned 80% stock shares did not install lights at Wrigley Field so that the Cubs could not play at night when at home, even though the other 19 major league teams scheduled night games.Defendant (Wrigley) claimed that baseball is a day sport and that playing at night would adversely affect the surrounding neighborhood. William appealed a lawsuit against the director Philip K. Wrigley and other directors that their mismanagement of not building lights for night games was contrary and unrelated to business interest, causing inadequate attendance and company financial losing. Oppositely, defendants argued that courts couldnâ€⠄¢t interfere business decisions unless there is fraud, illegality or conflict of interest.The source of law is case law where the rules of law announced in court decisions. Mr. Justice Sullivan judge on this case based on previous ground rules deprived from other 10 affirmed cases. Specific Legal Issues The case of Shlensky vs. Wrigley involves both question of law and question of fact. It involves question of law because plaintiff and defendant have different positions in interpreting rules. The Plaintiff holds that fraud, illegality and conflict of interest are not the only bases for stockholder to sue the directors while the defendant hold opposite position.Therefore, it needs judge to interpret and apply the law in this case. It also involves the question of fact, which is whether it likes plaintiff’s saying that defendants’ refusal of constructing lights for night games attributed to the company loss. Plaintiff’s Argument Plaintiff Shensky was advocating f or the damages for mismanagement of directors. The plaintiff also required the defendant to install the lights in Wrigley Field and schedule night baseball games.The Plaintiff claimed that night games would help the company's financial condition, and that the sales from attendance at night games would pay for the cost of the lights. However, directors refused to install lights in Wrigley Field because the personal view that night baseball games would disturb surrounding neighborhood. Have the directors been negligent in failing to exercise reasonable care and prudence in the management of the corporate affairs by making decisions, not out of a good faith concern for the company, but for personal views.Therefore, The Plaintiff claimed that defendants were liable for mismanagement because reasons of not installing lights were contrary and unrelated to business interests. Defendant’s Argument Defendant Wrigley was advocating for that court could not interfere cooperate affairs i f they did not break the law and contract. Defendant claimed that the reason he insist not installing lights is that baseball is a daytime game and night games would disturb surrounding neighborhood.He also claimed that if night games played, the negative effect from neighborhood would decrease company’s reputation. However, he was willing to play night games if a new stadium was built in Chicago. The defendants argued that their concerning and acting did not break the law, contract and conflict interest. Therefore, the court did not qualify for the responsibility to judge them. Court’s Decision and Rationale The court ultimately revoked the case and affirmed defendants’ failure to schedule night games did not constitute negligence.Firstly, The court feels that unless the conduct of directors borders on one of three elements (fraud, illegality, conflict of interest), the court will not interfere the directors’ decision and behavior. Secondly, the plaintif f’s claims are defective. Plaintiff cannot prove that the decision of not installing lights would bring huge amount of profits to the cooperation because there was no allegation that the night games played by other teams enhanced their financial condition. The plaintiff didn't even take into consideration how much it would cost to maintain the lights.Also, the claim of â€Å"Have the directors failing to exercise reasonable care and prudence in the management of the corporate affairs by making decisions, not out of a good faith concern for the company, but for personal views† is also defective. Because the effect on the surrounding neighborhood is something to be considered when making company decisions, as that affects who attends games as well as the value of the property. The concerning of surrounding neighborhood is a good faith of concern for the company and related to company’s long-term interest.The legal rules used by the court include many court decisio ns from other similar cases. For example, the court relied on language found in Hunter v. Roberts, Throp & Co. , 83 Mich 63, 47 NW 131, 134, â€Å"Courts of equity will not interfere in the management of the directors unless it is clearly made to appear that they are guilty of fraud or misappropriation of the corporate funds, or refuse to declare a dividend when the corporation has a surplus of net profits which it can. The Justice Sullivan applied this rule onto the case of Shlensky. Lessons Learned from the Case After analyzing the Case of William Shlensky and Philip K. Wrigley, what I will take away from reading the case is that courts protect directors’ rational decisions. These decisions may not be very profitable or right in hindsight, but directors are protected from liability so long as there is no fraud, illegality or conflict of interests of shareholders. It is an important case to analysis because the case teaches more than just legal principles.By learning law in context of actual lawsuits, in the case of Shlensky and Wrigley, I learned how disputes arise, how plaintiff and defendant deliver both arguments and how the judge applies previous case law decisions into the current case to make a decision. The judge decides the case based on the real facts other than one party’s claiming. Rather than reading pages of abstract statements of law, the rule that court cannot interfere legal business decision are presented more vividly by real problems involving real people.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Immigrants from Columbia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Immigrants from Columbia - Essay Example Men usually shake hands with direct eye contact and use of appropriate greeting of the day is very vital. Women often do not shake hands but rather grasps forearms. The official language in Colombia is Spanish and it’s spoken widely and the rest are American Indian languages. Religious wise, Colombians are Roman Catholics and such personal issues as marriage and family life have been highly influenced by the same. Thus my approach in trying to work with this family would be to first approach the elders of the family (in this case the grandparents) and strike a friendship with the them since they are the most revered and will obviously have the final say. I would engage them with the language that they understand best and then try to deduce claims of abuse. If the claims are true, then I will follow the right way to have the children registered in the appropraite way so as they can benefit from the Department of Children and Family, of course with the full support of their mother and

Friday, September 27, 2019

Information securtiy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Information securtiy - Essay Example Some lines have dedicated to explain the ISO/IEC 17799:2005 standard of information security policy. The second part of the report deals with a field-specific discussion. In this part, information security in the field of computers and internet has been explained. Threats posed to the sensitive information stored on computers have been discussed along with procedures for their determent. Some laws and Acts have been explained that ensure the information security in the new technological world. Information security is generally defined as the protection of information from a wide variety of threats, such as, getting accessed by unauthorized persons, disclosed, sold or destroyed, without the consent of the owner of the information. Thus, the primary objectives of information security are to ensure the privacy, reliability and accessibility of information. Information security is becoming one of the most important concerns in almost every profession and every field of life. Information security is a business issue, not just a technology issue (Symantec Corporation 2009). Sensitive information about the consumers and employees, finances, inventories, payments, research work, is being maintained by governments, organizations, companies, banks, armed forces, healthcare sectors, so on and so forth. This corporate information is the most crucial asset of a company and is at stake if proper measures are not taken to deter the security attacks. The information may have been stored in any form. For example, it may be in printed form; stored in files and documents; saved on the computers’ hard disks; shown on video tapes; and, transmitted by post, email or any other physical or electronic means. Breaches in information security can result in great losses and damages to the overall business and may lead to business discontinuity, high ri sks and low output. Most of

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Business & sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business & sustainability - Essay Example This section deals with the environment practices of Morrison Company with reference to the five stage model. a. Management Policies and systems: Out of the 50 reporting criteria, 12 are included under this section. Some of the important ones are management views on environment, existence of an environmental management system, environmental auditing, responsibility and accountability etc. The company has ambitious environmental protection policies included in its CSR report and some of the important policies are given. It may be noted that policies and actual performance may differ. The company proposes to reduce its carbon foot print by 36% in the coming two years. Energy saving is also viewed seriously and the company had invested 10m in energy saving technology. It is looking seriously at renewable sources of energy and reduced usage of water. Other policies include sourcing of fish and timber from sustainable sources, waste reduction, carbon labelling, fleet efficiency and fleet emission control in its fleet "We are committed to taking good care environmentally, socially and in our busi ness." (Annual review and summary Financial Statement 2007, 2007). b. Input output inventory: As many as twenty reporting criteria are included under this head. ... The group could also achieve a 9% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions during the past year. Their new head office in Bradford has a rain water collection and treatment plant. Morrison Plc also follows the practice of remoulding used tires thereby saving 675 tonnes of rubber. The company has a good record in recycling of waste products. 60% of its paper and cardboard waste was recycled last year. Plastic recycling was to the tune of 7% and other waste 5%. The total tonnage of recycled waste rose 26% from 128,000 tonnes in 2006 to 142,000 tonnes in 2007. The company has also managed a waste to landfill by 28%. Land filling by using domestic and industrial waste is a common practice followed by many countries. The main problem of using waste for landfills is contamination of the water table. A lot of regulations have come up regarding the usage of waste and Morrison's have taken this seriously. "The objective of the Directive is to prevent or reduce as far as possible negative effects on the environment from the land filling of waste, by introducing stringent technical requirements for waste and landfills." (Waste, Landfill of Waste, 2007). Another novel feature introduced by the company is the usage of compostable packaging. This type of packing is biodegradable and hence not a threat to the environment. Packaging is usually made of sugar cane fibre, wood pulp and GM free corn starch and has saved the company 27 tonnes . Package returning is another step taken by Morrison's. This means that the company is able to send back to the supplier the packaging used in transportation and this practice has helped the company to save 65,000 tonnes of cardboard. Package changing and redesigning is also another initiative

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Outcome of Organized Efforts of Workers in the Lowell and Triangle Case Study

The Outcome of Organized Efforts of Workers in the Lowell and Triangle Factories in the 19th century - Case Study Example The Lowell Factory is located beside the Pawtucket Falls. It is in Massachusetts, which is but one of America’s early and vital industrial cities. Just like the Triangle Factory, the Lowell Factory also majored in textile production.The conditions of Lowell’s factory were far from the modern American standards back at the time. The workers worked from 5:00 am to 7:00 pm amounting to an average of 73 hours per week. The working conditions were extremely uncomfortable with 80 people in a room, which was hot and the windows remained closed even during the summer.   The air in the rooms was filled with small elements of fabric and fiber.The machines made a noise that was not comfortable for the human ear. Although the visitors of the company were persuaded that the factory had perfect working conditions, the workers were always complaining because of draining work, which was termed as unsympathetic to the cerebral maturity. In terms of the living quarters, only women got an opportunity to secure a chance to a boarding house. The houses were congested with an average of six women sharing a sleeping room.On the other hand, the Triangle Factory also had poor working conditions. The workers, who were mostly women, were subjected to utter exploitation and little pay since they were immigrants and were desperately in need of a job.In Lowell’s Factory, in February 1834, the Board of Directors appealed to the managers of the factory to reduce the wages of the workers. This plus the previous factors agitated the women who organized for a strike. The strike did not work and the conditions worsened. They organized another which was successful leading to the reduction of house rent.   In 1845, the Lowell Female Labor Reform Association was started. The association was entirely led by the women who designated their own leaders and piloted their meetings.   They positioned other branches of the same kind in other mill towns. They also invited men in th eir meetings who were asked to treat the women as their equals.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

National Advocacy Paper (political science) 2 Research

National Advocacy (political science) 2 - Research Paper Example Viral videos of anti-Muslim demonstrations race across social networks daily. Islamophobia started in earnest on September 11, 2001 for reasons that are all too clear. This condition is a reactionary response instigated and perpetuated by fear of the unknown and unfamiliar. The level of outwardly expressed hatred ebbs and flows with the day’s newscast but the underlying causes and effects remain constant. It is a shameful and unnecessary circumstance reminiscent of racial segregation battles of the South and anti-immigrant rhetoric that has persisted throughout the nation’s history. Fortunately, technology is working in favor of reasonable thought and rational behavior. Social networking has enabled the world’s neighborhood to grow smaller and more familiar. We are entering an era of understanding between cultures therefore a lessening of ignorance and its byproduct, angry hate-filled speech aimed at disrespecting those of a different personal history. The argume nt for the critics of anything Islamic usually centers around terrorist actions, that Muslims commit more acts of terrorism than any other religious group therefore Islam is a war-like religion that does not respect life. In addition, many countries with a large Muslim population are theocracies, Islamic States, such as Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Pakistan and Iran. This is unacceptable to many Americans who could not imagine living under a theocratic regime, who consider this way of life medieval in nature, backward and harsh. Of course if many of these same people had their way, the U.S. would officially become a Christian nation. Most, 55 percent, (Stone, 2007) still cannot admit the U.S. is a secular nation with a comparatively liberal democratic government and would argue, erroneously, that the Founding Fathers meant for the country to be a Christian nation. It’s likely that those who are not aware of the Founder’s intent do not bother to investigate anything pertainin g to the Islamic religion or Muslim culture so as to understand rather than fear it. The controversy surrounding the mosque near ‘ground zero’ was and is baseless. The plans were to expand the existing Islamic community center (Park 51) that already housed a mosque. Another mosque is located just down the street. The area is dotted with porn shops, bars and ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ but no one claimed any of these potentially offensive business establishments would tarnish the memory of those Americans who died in the twin tower attack. The controversy was contrived and born purely out of fear, hatred and willful misunderstanding. â€Å"The site has been the scene of frequent demonstrations in which protesters carry signs saying such things as ‘All I Need to Know about Islam, I Learned on 9/11’" (Nachtwey, 2010). The community center is located in a building not unlike the others that surround it, plain and with no visible markings to indicat e is a religious institution. It is not an imposing edifice complete with colorful, spiraling towers one might picture when imagining a traditional Middle Eastern mosque. The outrage is disingenuous and not about the mosque itself or the pain it might cause the families of people who died on 9-11, which included Muslims as well. This false outrage is a by-product of ignorance, fear and bigotry. â€Å"

Monday, September 23, 2019

Evidence based design-healthcare Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Evidence based design-healthcare - Assignment Example Some of the factors considered in evidenced based design include the impact of getting connected to the natural environment on human biology and use of daylight, improving movement of people within a healthcare facility to improve safety, ergonomics, efficiency and hygienic issues which are very important for a healthcare facility. According to Kirk (95), improving outdoor views as well as optimizing daylight exposure has been considered as one of the design objectives especially for a wellness centre. Previous studies have also suggested that the provision of patients with a view of the natural world reduces their need for pain medication thus has the impact of shortening their stay in the hospital. Other studies have also suggested that the improved view of the biological world while patients are in hospitals reduces their length of stay. According to Verderber et al (238), this evidence based design discovery positively affects circadian rhythms of sleep as well as alertness thus improves the general experience of patients. When patients get access or are exposed to abundant sunlight. An example of this was seen at the Butter County healthcare center in David city in which a new wellness center featured a unique three thousand plus square foot curved glass curtain wall that goes up to twenty two feet high. This design offers beautiful views of a park and the surrounding natural environment. The design of the building was aimed at creating a more comfortable healing environment and provides a connection through which patients and healthcare staff meet the outside environment. Designs at this healthcare center used building information management technology as well as sun tracking analysis software to create a comfortable environment. Researchers on the impacts of natural environment have also suggested that the impacts

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Bonds and Their Valuation Mini-Case Essay Example for Free

Bonds and Their Valuation Mini-Case Essay Sam Strother and Shawna Tibbs are vice-presidents of Mutual of Seattle Insurance Company and co-directors of the companys pension fund management division. A major new client, the Northwestern Municipal Alliance, has requested that Mutual of Seattle present an investment seminar to the mayors of the represented cities, and Strother and Tibbs, who will make the actual presentation, have asked you to help them by answering the following questions. Because the Boeing Company operates in one of the leagues cities, you are to work Boeing into the presentation. a.What are the key features of a bond? Answer: 1.Par or face value. We generally assume a $1,000 par value, but par can be anything, and often $5,000 or more is used. With registered bonds, which is what are issued today, if you bought $50,000 worth, that amount would appear on the certificate. 2.Coupon rate. The dollar coupon is the rent on the money borrowed, which is generally the par value of the bond. The coupon rate is the annual interest payment divided by the par value, and it is generally set at the value of r on the day the bond is issued. 3.Maturity. This is the number of years until the bond matures and the issuer must repay the loan (return the par value). 4.Issue date. This is the date the bonds were issued. 5.Default risk is inherent in all bonds except treasury bondswill the issuer have the cash to make the promised payments? Bonds are rated from AAA to D, and the lower the rating the riskier the bond, the higher its default risk premium, and, consequently, the higher its required rate of return.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Types of Colonies Essay Example for Free

Types of Colonies Essay English colonies were one of three types of colonies. The first being a joint-stock colony. In this type of colony the king of England would grant a charter to a joint-stock company that would ensure settlers the same rights as Englishmen. Joint-stock colonies were only meant to last a few years. After which, stockholders hoped to earn a profit. Many people were attracted with the promise of gold. The second type was a royal colony. This type of colony was directly controlled by the king. The king appointed a governor and a council which served as an advisory body to the governor. The council had an the upper house of the colonial legislature and the highest court in the colony. The lower house was a bicameral legislature and was elected by property holders who met voting qualifications. Laws passed by the legislature had to be approved by the king. Finally, was the proprietary colony. A Proprietary Colony is a colony in which the king gave land to people called proprietors. Most of these colonies are run under a charter agreement. Private land owners picked governors to rule the colonies. Governors then chose a council and colonist elected representatives to an assembly. This type of colony resembled feudalism. The plantation colonies included Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. They were financed by the English crown and made proprietary colonies except for Virginia which was financed through the Virginia Company and was a joint-stock colony. The colonies were founded for different reasons. Virginia was founded in search of gold. North and South Carolina was founded to grow foodstuffs and to export non-English products. Maryland was founded for religious freedom. Georgia was founded to be a buffer against Spanish expansion from Florida and to be a haven for people in debt and prisoners of England. The plantation colonies exported agricultural products such as the cash crops indigo, tobacco, and rice. These colonies were dependent on the labor of indentured servants at first but by the seventeenth century black slaves became the source of labor. The enormous plantations were owned by few and they had an aristocratic attitude. They did have a form of democratic self-government however the rich plantation owners controlled the government because they were the only people who could afford to pay for all their own expenses. The plantation colonies did allow for some religious toleration. There wasnt much opportunity for social and political mobility. Education was much sparser in the plantation colonies than the others colonies. New England colonies included New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These colonies were financed by joint-stock companies although Rhode Island had started out as a squatter colony. All of the New England colonies were founded mainly for religious freedom. Because of limited farm land, new englanders had to find a different source of income. New Englands colonies offered fish, furs, and ships to England. A mercantile network made them a part of the triangle trade. Trade became the cornerstone of colony’s economy. New England had a provincial government. In this government freeman (adult males who belonged to the puritan congregations) were the only people allowed to vote in provincial elections. This was about two-fifths of the adult male population. However all male property holders were allowed to discuss and vote on town government issues. New England was the less ethnically mixed than the southern colonies because of its stony soil. However, the clean water and cool temperatures lessened the spread of germs and added ten years to the life span of settlers migrating from the old world. This contributed to family stability and in turn gave new englanders a strong, tranquil social structure. Opportunity for social and political mobility was available to most men willing to work for it. Education was extremely important in New England, towns with more than fifty families were required to provide elementary education. A majority of adults knew how to read and write and only eight years after founding Massachusetts, Puritans established Harvard College. The middle colonies included New York, Pennsylvania , New Jersey, and Delaware . New York, New Jersey, and Delaware were all originally founded by the Dutch to make a quick profit in the fur trade and were financed by the Dutch West India Company until 1644 when England took over. Pennsylvania however, was founded by William Penn, a Quaker. His reason for founding Pennsylvania was to be a haven for religious liberties and other Quakers . He secured a charter from the king in lieu of the debt still owed to his father. The middle colonies werent as aristocratic as New England nd the plantation colonies because land holdings were intermediate in size, with the exception of New York. The middle colonies were more ethnically diverse than the other colonies and the most religiously tolerant. Very few class distinctions existed because of the large middle class. The middle colonies government was a combination of the New England and south government. They had modified both the county govern ment and the town-meeting government into one. People had much democratic control and men could vote if they owned property. Social and political mobility was greater in the middle colonies because desirable land was more easily acquired. Their soil was very fertile and they became known as the bread colonies for exports of grain. However, the middle colonies did not limit themselves to just farming as an income and also traded. Their three main rivers ,the Susquehanna , the Delaware , and the Hudson, all allowed them access to the fur trade. They also had some industry , such as ship building thanks to their excellent harbors and rivers. Colonial leaders agreed that education was important but did not provide it like New England. The decision to educate children was left to the families until 1683, when a Pennsylvania law was passed, requiring that all children be taught to read and write and be trained in a useful trade. In conclusion, all three colonies had many similarities and differences. All of the colonies were almost entirely English and had British freedoms. All were under a mercantile economy until the revolution. To some degree all had religious toleration and a self-government. All of them also gave new settlers the opportunity to make money and climb the social ladder, although it was harder in some colonies than others. All of the colonies eventually were made into royal colonies with the exception of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Almost every colony utilized a two-house legislative body. Although very alike the colonies also had many differences. Plantation colonies were very spread out and depended on slavery for income. They were the most aristocratic, had a scattered population and only some religious toleration. Social and political mobility was much harder in the plantation colonies and government was controlled by wealthy land owners. The New England colonist were mostly puritan and werent as religiously tolerant as the other colonies. They also had more industry instead of farming because of less available farm land. They were mainly known for their ship building and fishing. New England stressed education and held town meetings often to vote on local issues. The middle colonies were the most ethnically diverse, religiously tolerant, and democratic of the colonies except for aristocratic New York. They were a mix of the plantation colonies and New England in almost everything. There was little class distinctions and a large middle class. Money could be made not only in farming but in industry too.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Overview of Crawlers and Search Optimization Methods

Overview of Crawlers and Search Optimization Methods With the explosive growth of knowledge sources out there on the planet Wide internet, its become progressively necessary for users to utilize automatic tools in  the notice  the specified data resources, and to trace and analyze their usage patterns. Clustering is worn out some ways and by researchers in several disciplines, like clump is done on the premise of queries submitted to look engine. This paper provides an outline of algorithms that are useful in program optimization. The algorithms discuss personalized conception based clump algorithmic rule. Fashionable organizationsare geographically distributed. Typically, every web site domestically stores its ever increasing quantity of  everyday  knowledge. Using centralized Search optimized to find helpful patterns in such organizations, knowledge is not possible as a result of merging knowledge sets from totally differentwebsitesinto a centralized site incurs immense network communication prices. Knowledge  of  these organizations dont seem to be solely distributed over numerous locations however conjointly vertically fragmented, creating it troublesome if not possible to mix them in a very central location. Distributed Search optimized has therefore emerged as a full of life  Subarea  of  Search  optimized analysis.  Theyre  planning  a way to seek out the rank of every individual page within the native linguistics program surroundings. Keyword analysis tool conjointly accustomed. Keywords – Distributed data, Data Management System, Page Rank, program Result Page, Crawler INTRODUCTION A search engine may be a computer code thats designed to look for data on the planet Wide internet. The search results are typically given in a line of results usually named as Search Engine Result Page (SERPs). The data could also be a specialist in sites, images, data and different varieties of files. Some search engines conjointly mine knowledge out there in databases or open directories. In contrast to internet directories that are maintained solely by human editors, search engines conjointly maintain period data by running an algorithmic rule on an internet crawler. A look engine may be a web-based tool that permits users to find data on the planet. Wide internet well-liked samples of search enginesare Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search. Search engines utilize automatic code applications that follow the net, following links from page to page, site to site. Every program use totally different advanced mathematical formulas to get search results. The results for a particular question are then displayed on the SERP. Program algorithms take the key components of an internet page, together with the page title, similar content and used keywords. If any search result page get the higher ranking in the yahoo then it is not necessary that it’s also get the same rank at Google result page. To form things additional sophisticated, the algorithms utilized by search engines dont seem to be closely guarded secrets, theyre conjointly perpetually undergoing modification and revision. This implies that the factors to best optimize awebsitewith should be summarized through observation, additionally as trial and error and not one time.The programis divided roughly into 3 components: crawl, Indexing, and looking out. WORKING POSTULATE OF SEARCH ENGINE Crawling The foremost well-known crawler is termed â€Å"Google larva.† Crawlers scrutinize sites and follow links on those pages, very similar to that if anyone were browsing content on the net. They going from link to link and convey knowledge concerning those sites back to Google’s servers. An internet crawler is a web larva that consistently browses the planet Wide internet, generally for the aim of internet assortment. An internet crawler might also be referred to as an internet spider, or an automatic trained worker. Indexing Search engine assortment is that the method of a Search engine collection parses and stores knowledge to be used by the program. The particular program index is that the place wherever all the info the program has collected iskept. Its the program index that gives the results for search queries, and pages that are keep at intervals the program index that seem on the program results page. Without a look engine index, the program would take amounts of your time and energy anytime a question was initiated, because the program would need to search not solely each web content or piece of information that has got to do with the actual keyword employed in the search question, however each different piece of knowledge its access to, to make sure that its not missing one thing that has one thing to try and do with the actual keyword. Program spiders, conjointly referred to as program crawlers, are however the program index gets its data, additionally as keeping it up thus far and freed from spam. Crawl Sites The crawler module retrieves pages from the net for later analysis by the assortment module. For retrieve pages for the user query Crawler start it with U0. In this search result U0 come at a first place according to the prioritized. Now crawler retrieves the result of 1st important page i.e. U0, and puts the next important URLs U1 within the queue. This method is continual till the crawler decides to prevent. Given the big size and also the modification rate of the net, several problemsarise, together with the subsequent. Challenges of crawl 1) What pages ought to the crawler download? In most cases, the crawler cannot transfer all pages on the net [6]. Even the foremost comprehensive program presently indexesa little fraction of the whole internet. Given this reality, its necessary for the crawler to fastidiously choose the pages and to go to â€Å"important† pages 1st by prioritizing the URLs within the queue properly [fig. 1.1], in order that the fraction of the net thats visit isadditionally significant. It’sstartingout revisiting the downloaded pages so as to find changes and refresh the downloaded. The crawler might want to transfer â€Å"important† pages1st. 2) However ought to the crawler refresh pages? After download pages from the internet, crawler starting out revisiting the downloaded pages. The crawler has to fastidiously decide what page to come back and what page to skip, as a result of this call might considerably impact the â€Å"freshness† of the downloaded assortment. for instance, if a particular page seldom changes, the crawler might want to come back the page less usually, so as to go to additional often dynamical. 3) The load on the visited websites is reduced? When the crawler collects pages from the net; it consumes resources happiness to different organizations. For instance, once the crawler downloads page p on web site S, the location has to retrieve pageup from its classification system, intense disk and central processor resource. Also, once this retrieval the page has to be transferred through the network that is another resource, shared by multiple organizations. III. RELATED WORK Given taxonomy of words, an easy methodology used to calculate similarity between 2 words. If a word is ambiguous, then multiple strategies could exist between the two words. In such cases, entirely the shortest path between any a pair of senses of the words is taken into consideration for conniving similarity. A tangle that is usually acknowledged with this approach is that it depends on the notion that every one links at intervals the taxonomy represent a consistent distance. Page Count The Page Count property returns an extended price that indicates the amount of pages with information in an exceedingly Record set object. Use the Page Count property to see what percentage pages of knowledge square measure within the Record set object. Pages square measure teams of records whose size equals the Page Size property setting. Though the last page is incomplete as a result of their square measure fewer records than the Page Size price, it counts as an extra page within the Page Count Price. If the Record set object doesnt support this property, the worth are -1 to point that the Page Count is indeterminable. Some SEO tools square measure use for page count. Example- web site link count checker, count my page, net word count. Text Snippets Text Snippets square measure usually won’t to clarify that means of a text otherwise cluttered operate, or to reduce the employment of recurrent code thats common to different functions. Snip management may be a feature of some text editors, program ASCII text file editors, IDEs, and connected code. Search optimized additionally referred to as Discovery of Knowledge in large Databases (KDD) [9], is that the method of mechanically looking out giant volumes of knowledge for patterns mistreatment tools like classification, association rule mining, clustering, etc. Search optimized may be also work as info retrieval, machine learning and pattern recognition system. Search optimized techniques square measure the results of an extended method of analysis and products development. This evolution began once business information was initial hold on computers, continuing with enhancements in information access, and additional recently, generated technologies that enable users to navigate through their information in real time. Search optimized takes this organic process on the far side retrospective information access and navigation to prospective and proactive info delivery. Search optimized is prepared for application within the community as a result of its supported by 3 technologies that square measure currently sufficiently mature: Massive information assortment Powerful digital computer computers Search optimized algorithms. With the explosive growth of knowledge sources accessible on the globe Wide net, its become progressively necessary for users to utilize machine-driven tools in realize the required info resources, and to trace and analyze their usage patterns. These factors bring about to the requirement of making server facet and shopper side intelligent systems which will effectively mine for data. Net mining [6] may be generally outlined because the discovery and analysis of helpful info from the globe Wide net. This describes the automated search of knowledge resources accessible online, i.e. website mining, and also the discovery of user access patterns from net servers, i.e., net usage mining. Web Mining Web Mining is that the extraction of fascinating and doubtless helpful patterns and implicit info from artifacts or activity associated with the globe wide net. There square measure roughly 3 data discovery domains that pertain to net mining: website mining, net Structure Mining, and net Usage Mining. Extracting data from the document content is called the Website mining. Net document text mining, resource discovery supported ideas compartmentalization or agent primarily based technology might also fall during this class. Net structure mining is that the method of inferring data from the globe Wide net organization and links between references and referents within the net. Finally, net usage mining, additionally called diary mining, is that the method of extracting fascinating patterns in net access logs. Web Content Mining Web content mining [3] is associate automatic method that works on the keyword for extraction. Since the content of a text document presents no machine readable linguistics, some approaches have steered restructuring the document content in an exceedingly illustration that might be exploited by machines. Web Structure Mining World Wide net will reveal additional info than simply the knowledge contained in documents. As an example, links inform to a document indicate the recognition of the document, whereas links commencing of a document indicate the richness or maybe the range of topics coated within the document. This will be compared to list citations. Once a paper is cited usually, it got to be necessary. The Page Rank strategies profit of this info sent by the links to search out pertinent sites. Search optimized, the extraction of hidden prophetic info from giant databases, may be a powerful new technology with nice potential to assist corporations target the foremost necessary info in their information warehouses. Search optimized tools predict future trends and behaviors, permitting businesses to create proactive, knowledge-driven selections. The machine-driven, prospective analyses offered by Search optimized move on the analyses of past events provided by of call support systems. Search optimized tools will answer business queries that historically were too time intense to resolve. LIMITATION Duringdata retrieval, onewithall the most issues is to retrieve a collection of documents, that dont seem to be giventouser question. For instance, apple is often related to computers on the net. However, this sense of apple isnt listed in most all-purpose thesauri or dictionaries. IV. PURPOSE OF THE ANALYSIS Knowledge Management (KM) refers to a spread of practices utilized by organizations to spot, create, represent, and distribute data for utilize, awareness and learning across the organization. Data Management programsare aunit generally tied to structure objectives and area unit meant to guide to the action of specific outcomes liketo shareintelligence, improved performance, competitive advantage, or higher levels of innovation. Here we tend to area unit viewing developing an internet computer network data management system thats of importance to either a company or an academic institute. V. DESCREPTION OF DRAWBACK Top of Form After the arrival of laptop the knowledge are hugely out there and by creating use of such raw assortment data to create the data is that the method of Search optimized. Likewise in internet conjointly lots of internet Documents residein on-line.The internetisa repositoryof form of data like Technology, Science, History, Geography, Sports Politics et al. If anyone is aware ofa concern specific topic, then theyre exploitation program to look for his or her necessities and it provides full satisfaction for user after giving entire connected data concerning the subjects.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

This essay will be comparing and contrasting two magazines aimed at the female readership, and they are called Bitch Magazine and Cosmopolitan, with regards to their front pages, content and articles, their ideals of beauty, and feminism. With this essay, we will learn the extreme differences between two magazines Bitch is a Portland based independent, quarterly magazine, with a touting a tagline of a â€Å"feminist response to pop culture.† Founded in 1996, Bitch is published by Bitch Media, a non-profit multimedia organization. This magazine offers a feminist perspective and analysis of social and cultural trends, current political events, as well as forms of media such as television, movies, music, books, artwork, and advertising. Bitch magazine has around 50,000 readers. Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women, and is the best-selling women’s magazine for decades. The notoriously risquà © magazine says it is â€Å"by women for women.† Also referred as Cosmo, the magazine was published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, and eventually became what we know of as a women’s magazine during the late 1960’s. This magazine is published by a for-profit organization called Hearst Magazine and has 64 international editions. It is currently being printed in 35 languages and is being distributed in more than 100 countries. Its boasts more than 3 million in paid circulation each and every month, and 115,000 paid subscribers. To begin with, I will be comparing the magazines front page’s headlines. Cosmopolitan is ridiculously formulaic and right from the get go you can tell from a comparison of previous front page headlines. Each issue meticulously follows the same predetermined formula. Their headlines are trashy and des... ...ncourages and instills the idea that women are amazingly great without changing themselves or suppressing their unique identities. This essay has compared and contrasted two magazines aimed at the female readership, and they are called Bitch Magazine and Cosmopolitan, with regards to their front pages, content and articles, their ideals of beauty, and feminism. Cosmopolitan is a magazine that gives harmful ideas to women about their sexuality, their health and happiness, and how it is supposedly dependent upon whether or not they fit into the unrealistic beauty standards that this magazine possesses. In divergence, Bitch Magazine teaches women to love themselves and to support each other no matter what. Bitch encourages women to understand that they are absolutely perfect just the way they are and that there is no need to change or suppress their given identities.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Criminalization of Knowingly Transmitting AIDS :: Health Medicine

Table of Contents Brief history of AIDS and the criminalization of knowingly transmitting it.......................................3 Interviews concerning the issue............................4 Reasons for the criminalization of knowingly transmitting AIDS..................................................5 Reasons against the criminalization of knowingly transmitting AIDS.....................................7 My position and conclusion.................................8 Brief History of AIDS and the Criminalization of Knowingly Transmitting It Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The virus was discoverd independently in France in 1983 and in the United States in 1984. In the United States, it was initially identified in 1981. In 1986, a second virus, now called HIV- 2, was also discovered in Africa. HIV-2 also causes AIDS. AIDS is transmitted in three ways: From sexual contact without protection, from the mixing of ones blood with infected blood, and from an infected pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection can occur from blood transfusions of infected blood, or sharing 'dirty' needles. (Needles already used, in this case, by a HIV positive person.) The criminalization of intentionally spreading AIDS has been a big issue recently, and still remains so. As of September, 1991, legislation criminalizing AIDS transmission has been passed in 24 states. Among these states are California, Idaho, Ohio, Missouri, Michigan, and South Carolina. Under these current laws, it is a crime to knowingly transmit the virus through sex, sharing needles, donating infected blood, organs, or skin tissue. The first person to go to court under these laws in Michigan was Jeffrey Hanlon. Hanlon was a gay man who infected another man from Michigan while he was in New York. The American Civil Liberties Union, who agreed to take the case, agrued that the AIDS disclosure law is unconstitutional. Privacy of those with AIDS is what they were worried about. Opponents argued that "they're [those with AIDS] killing people. It's like rape." The maximum sentence Hanlon could have recieved was four years in prison and a $2000 fine. In addition, under the current New York State law, which dates back well before June, 1987, the knowing transmission of a venerial disease is a felony. However, at that time, and currently, AIDS was not classified as a venerial disease. Interviews Concerning the Issue Most people believe that the willful transmission of AIDS to others it virtually murder. I have interviewed **name** and **name**. Both of them feel that intentionally passing AIDS on to another person is murder.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Information and communication technologies Essay

Even though the ICT sector is itself worth between 6-8% of the EU’s GDP in the last few years, ICTs are much more important than that figure suggests, as they are central for the current situation and development of much more spheres of contemporary society as a whole and of national economies in Europe in particular. Today ICTs play a crucial role in: improving competitiveness throughout the economy in the face of globalisation, by boosting innovation, creativity and efficiency; – scientific and technological development in various areas (including medicine and physics); – modernising sectors as diverse as education, security, energy and transport, and making Europe’s public sector more efficient; – tackling social challenges and improving quality of life and meeting the challenge of an ageing society. The EU policy framework for the information society and media – i2010- also promotes a European Information Society for all citizens[2]. Actions implemented under this i2010 priority aim to ensure that the benefits of the information society can be enjoyed by everyone (e-Inclusion). Areas of eInclusion policy, as defined in i2010, are: ageing, eAccessibility, broadband gap (overcoming the so called â€Å"digital divide†), inclusive eGovernment, digital literacy and culture. Actions under this priority also aim to encourage provision of better public services (eGovernment and eHealth). Here are the main spheres where ICTs have even bigger potential and are expected to develop in the short run: – Growth and Competitiveness ICT is a driver for productivity. The gains from ICT stem directly from investment in ICT, a fast growing and innovative ICT sector, and indirectly from improvements in business processes through wider use of these technologies across the economy. According to a study[3], the overall contribution to labour productivity growth from ICT investments and from technical progress in the production of ICT goods and services accounted for about 40% of EU labour productivity growth over the second half of the 1990s, compared with 60% in the US. The ICT sector, as a whole, performs fairly well in comparison with the US in terms of size (10% of GDP in the US against 8% in the EU, and also in productivity and employment creation), but less so in terms of contribution to R&D (in the US, ICT account for 30% of R&D). However, in these developments the EU has suffered from lower and delayed investments in ICT and, possibly, a less efficient use of ICT. Using Information and Communication Technologies can also further be used to manage finite natural resources and energy consumption much more efficiently, so that improving environmental protection without holding back economic development[4]. – Convergence More and more, convergence of technologies, infrastructure and applications is developing to provide consumers with an access to a great diversity of attractive services and rich media and content on a wide range of devices. Availability of content and services is becoming critical as the market moves to a phase where value-added services and content are key to revenue growth. The policy focus for 2010 will probably be the creation of a favourable environment that stimulates the competitive deployment of new converging services. – Broadband networks EU countries are global leader in high-speed internet. The number of fixed broadband internet connections in the EU keeps growing: 14 million more in 2008, reaching over 114 million in total. Denmark and the Netherlands are world leaders in broadband, with take up over 35% of population. They lead, along with Sweden, Finland, the UK, Luxembourg, Belgium, Germany and France, the US, which was at 25% in July 2008. This has produced a critical mass and there is already evidence that markets for high-quality content and service development are taking off. Furthermore, new developments in wireless broadband have made spectrum availability crucial to new services and applications, and the efficient management of spectrum key to further broadband developments. Finally, the enhancement of interoperability and security are essential to and increase consumers’ choice and facilitate take-up. In the beginning of 2009 1 billion euro has been earmarked by the European Commission to help rural areas[5] get online, bring new jobs and help businesses grow. Competitiveness, job creation and protection, sustainable development, spatial balance and fighting the digital divide are the main goals that the broadband internet access could achieve. – Contents and information society services Convergence is creating a promising range of opportunities for the development of content and information society services making the most of ICT. The challenge for the single information space is to create the appropriate environment that will meet both business and consumer expectations while promoting the European content industry. This requires a competitive environment, where interoperability allows cross-platform competition and usage. This also requires a clear European regulatory framework with respect to content regulation and a secure environment for the distribution of digital content. Ensuring consumer acceptance pass by offering access to a great variety of flexible content and services adapted to user needs. Improving security and privacy as well as minor protection and media literacy are needed to allow European citizens to benefit fully from these content and services. – Innovation and research In order Europe to catch-up with the levels of productivity growth of other regions of the world, it should strengthen innovation and concentrate these efforts in those sectors, like the ICT, where the value added is the highest. A pre-requisite is to increase investment in research: at present the EU devotes only 18% of research expenditure to ICT whereas the leading OECD countries allocate more than 30%[6]. In absolute amounts, Europe’s investment in ICT research is only two thirds of that of Japan and one third of that seen in the USA. Research and development is making technology simpler to use, more available and affordable; providing new ICT-based solutions that are trusted, reliable, and adaptable to users’ contexts and preferences. However, research alone is not sufficient as it needs be consolidated by organisational innovation. ICT must be widely adopted and supported by adequate reorganisation of business processes and by a skilled workforce. Businesses in the EU are increasingly adopting advanced ICT and are engaging in on-line transactions but are lagging behind in the adoption of integrated business applications (particularly the European small and medium enterprises). – Skills and work The development of the ICT sector and the wide-spread diffusion and use of ICT in the economy and in the society bring opportunities for new employment and more creative and fulfilling jobs. Changing needs for ICT and e-Business skills (e-Skills) in the future heavily depend on innovation and the introduction of new technologies. The greatest challenge is to assess forward-looking innovations and understand what new skills will be needed, to be able to anticipate and manage changes and be effective, quick and efficient in creating new, innovative jobs. – e-Business Though nearly all enterprises are connected to the internet, a large section of the business community is only beginning to exploit the potential of ICT. E-commerce is expected to continue to grow rapidly. More efforts are needed to improve business processes in European enterprises and fully integrate ICT providing new opportunities to reduce their costs and improve performance. Factors which will contribute to increase e-Business include promotion of take-up of e-business solutions and best practices security, addressing privacy and security concerns, availability of content and new services, increase automation of business processes, acceptance of payment for content and services, e-invoicing and e-procurement. Public services Public services are at the heart of the European social model, playing a key role in growth, innovation and cohesion. There is increasing evidence that a better exploitation of ICT through combined improvement of facilities, working processes and skills can significantly enhance public service’s organisation provision. However, the potential remains unfulfilled due to technical, legal or organisational obstacles. For example, government services are widely available online but the demand is not sufficient and efficiency gains from back-office reorganisation are still largely underexploited. Specific challenges relate to friendly user-centric services, back-office streamlining, interoperability of key infrastructures and facilities, identity management, or privacy and trust. – e-Inclusion Increasing impact of ICT on social inclusion and participation creates new opportunities. Significant progress on ICT penetration across all EU regions and socio-demographic groups helps to decrease disparities. However, some specific challenges concern accessibility of ICT equipment and user-friendly interfaces, digital literacy or improved confidence and support for ICT use. Some important concerns are â€Å"design for all† of ICT equipment; human mediation and support for e-services; intuitive use of affordable value-added e-content and services accessible; and efficient solutions for threats to privacy, security and harmful content threats. – Quality of life and environment ICT have a direct impact on the environment but also indirect social and economic consequences as a result of its application. ICT positive impact on the environment includes environmental modelling (forecasting), the miniaturisation of devices (which reduces the resources needed for manufacture and distribution), micro/nano technology and embedded systems which improve disaster management, and reduce the environmental impact of farming and fishing. ICT also enables a less resource-intensive production, thereby reducing the environmental impact of economic activities. – e-Work contributes to environmental sustainability as travelling to work is reduced. Innovative transport planning systems can ease traffic congestion and optimise transport capacity. ICT can also contribute to quality of life by delivering more efficient and more effective public services and goods to individuals which in turn can improve their life chances. ICT support for comprehensive life-long learning policies (through e-learning, digital competence actions) can enable all individuals to adapt and keep the pace with the continuous social, economic and technological changes. – Climate and energy policy The combined climate and energy policy is central at the EU’s political programme. Its aism are to bring about alternative ways of running our daily lives so that Europe can continue to create growth and jobs while leading the global effort to tackle climate change and energy efficiency. Europe faces three main challenges in this field – tackling climate change, guaranteeing secure, sustainable and competitive energy, and making the European economy a model for sustainable development in the 21st century[7]. The resolve of the European Council[8] to transform Europe into a low-carbon, high energy efficiency economy means that the continued growth of the European economy, essential to achieve full employment and inclusion, needs to be decoupled from energy consumption. The current trends are unsustainable. Indeed, if nothing were to change, final energy consumption in the EU is predicted to increase up to 25% by 2012, with a substantial rise in greenhouse gas emissions. ICTs have an important role to play in reducing the energy intensity and increasing the energy efficiency of the economy, in other words, in reducing emissions and contributing to sustainable growth. In addition to that, ICTs will not only improve energy efficiency and combat climate change but will also stimulate the development of a large leading-edge market for ICT enabled energy-efficiency technologies that can foster the competitiveness of European industry and create new business opportunities.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Jails and Prisons Essay

Jails and prisons are corrective institutions which are meant to curb criminal activities in the society. They are also meant to punish the offenders. Prisons execute imprisonment which involves legal penalties. Jails and prisons should basically be aimed at punishing and rehabilitating the offender so as he/she will not repeat the crime which he/she was convicted of. The federal spending on correctional activities has also been gradually increasing. In the recent past federal government has been enhancing its efforts to improve jails and prisons conditions as a sign of recognizing some human rights entitled to criminals. Nowadays, those serving imprisonment sentences can access various facilities. These include religious services, education facilities, and recreational facilities in the exercise yard. The prisoners’ health is also well taken care of. Prisoners are also trained and imparted with some skills which may be helpful in their future life. In our contemporary prisons, prisoners are provided with entertainment facilities such as pool tables and TV. (Cavadino & Dignan 2006) USA jails and prisons are both meant to rehabilitate and punish the offenders. Rehabilitation is an effective method of ensuring no re-offence so as to reduce the number of prisoners’ population. This program seeks to address the casual links to offending, and employ cognitive behavioral approach towards modifying the prisoners’ behaviors. Counselors are used to ensure success of such programs. Those involved in use of prohibited substances and a number of civil crimes are usually rehabilitated. On the other hand, some criminal activities necessitate punishments such as fines, strokes and capital punishment. Capital punishment is applied to serious criminal activities such as terrorism, espionage, treason or mass destruction. (McGuire 2002; Cavadino & Dignan 2006)

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Abnormality of Lindsay Lohan Essay

For one to be classified as psychologically abnormal, he or she must display the four mannerisms of abnormality, known as â€Å"the four D’s: dysfunction, distress, deviance, and dangerousness. I am certain that the Hollywood star, Lindsay Lohan, meets the qualifications of abnormality. Lindsay’s behavior prevents her functioning normally in life. Lindsay Lohan’s addiction to alcohol and her drug abuse has landed her in and out of jail and as well as rehabilitation centers numerous times. According to CNN, â€Å"Lindsay Lohan pled guilty with the possession of cocaine and drinking under the influence†. Lindsay’s trouble with law has caused great distress to her health as well. According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan was hospitalized for stress induced Pneumonia. Lindsay claims that the stress in which induced her pneumonia originated from her citation for a hit and run accident involving a pedestrian. Lindsay’s chronic stealing behavior can be viewed as deviant. According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan has been accused on many occassions of stealing items such as: clothes, necklaces, earings, and shoes from various apparel boutiques. Lastly, Lindsay has endangered society with her alcohol addictions. Fox News reports that Lindsay Lohan has been arrested for drinking under the influence many times. In one of her many drinking under the influence-related accidents, she crashed her car into another moving vehicle. Approaching this from a cognitive perspective, I believe that the wreckless and attention seeking behavior that Lindsay Lohan outputs is a direct result from her parent’s divorce and stress induced from her sky-rocketing childhood fame. In Lindsay Lohan’s hit song â€Å"Confessions of a broken heart†, she emotionally expresses her relationship with her father. In her lyrics she says, â€Å"And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, a family in crisis that only grows older, why’d you have to go†¦ I dream of another you one who would never leave me alone to pick up the pieces, a daddy to hold me because that’s all I needed†. In psychopathology, the cognitive perspective views that one’s thought processesinfluences his/her behavior and emotion. In Lindsay’s negative exposure to her family fights and parent’s divorce, I believe that she lacked proper love and attention from her emotionally drained mother and uninvolved father. With the lack of attention from her two parents and her fame slowly fading away, her mind justified that it was  acceptable to engage in wreckless/irrational behavior to gain that attention that she desired. Lindsay Lohan uses this attribution as a desperate attempt to gain control of other’s attention so that she will not feel forgotten, like how her father abandoned her. I believe she makes global assumptions that she deserves everyone’s love and attention. Lindsay’s useage of drugs and engagement in wreckless behavior is a desperate cry for attention that she seeks to satisfy her feeling of being forgotten. If she does not seek therapy soon to learn how to deal with her emotions more effectively, her wreckless, attention seeking behavior will only be reinforced.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Managed Care Organization Essay

USLegal.com A managed care organization (MCO) is a health care provider or a group or organization of medical service providers who offers managed care health plans. It is a health organization that contracts with insurers or self-insured employers and finances and delivers health care using a specific provider network and specific services and products. They provide a wide variety of quality and managed health care services to enrolled workers keeping medical costs down through preventative medicine, patient education, and in other ways. These organizations are certified by the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). MCOs vary in their constitution as some organizations are made of physicians, while others are combinations of physicians, hospitals, and other providers. For instance, a group practice without walls, independent practice association, management services organization, and a physician practice management company are the common MCO’s. Patient Advocate Foundation Providers of care, such as hospitals, physicians, laboratories, clinics, etc., make up a â€Å"managed care organization† delivery system often known as an â€Å"MCO.† Seven common MCO models are: 1. Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) An arrangement whereby a third-party payer (health plan) contracts with a group of medical-care providers who furnish services at agreed-upon rates in return for prompt payment and a certain volume of patients, perhaps under contract with a private insurer. The services may be furnished at discounted rates, and the insured population may incur out-of-pocket expenses for covered services received outside the PPO if the outside charge exceeds the PPO payment rate. 2. Point-of-Service Plan (POS) Also known as an open-ended HMO, POS plans encourage, but do not require, members to choose a primary care physician. As in traditional HMOs, the primary care physician may act as a â€Å"gatekeeper† when making referrals; plan members may, however, opt to visit out-of-network providers at their discretion. Subscribers choosing not to use a network physician must pay higher deductibles and co-payments than those using network physicians. 3. Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) A  network of providers that have agreed to provide services on a discounted basis. Enrollees typically do not need referrals for services from network providers (including specialists), but if a patient elects to seek care outside of the network, then he or she will not be reimbursed for the cost of the treatment. An EPO typically does not provide the preventive benefits and quality assurance monitor. 4. Physician-Hospital Organization (PHO) A contracted arrangement among physicians and hospital wherein a single entity, the Physician Hospital Organization, contracts to provide services to insurers’ subscribers. 5. Individual Practice Association (IPA) A formal organization of physicians or other providers through which they may enter into contractual relationships with health plans or employers to provide certain benefits or services. 6. Managed Indemnity Program A program in which the insurer pays for the cost of covered services after services have been rendered and uses various tools to monitor cost-effectiveness, such as precertification, second surgical opinion, case management, and utilization review. Also called managed fee-for-service programs. 7. Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) HMOs offer prepaid, comprehensive health coverage for both hospital and physician services. An HMO contracts with health care providers, e.g., physicians, hospitals, and other health professionals, and members are required to use participating providers for all health services. Model types include staff, group practice, network, and IPA. They differ in their financial and organizational arrangements between the HMO and its physicians. Some HMOs combine various attributes of the four principal models. WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES When a person decides to enroll in Family Care, they become a member of a managed care organization (MCO). MCOs operate the Family Care program and provide or coordinate services in the Family Care benefit. The Family Care benefit combines funding and services from a variety of existing programs into one flexible long-term care benefit, tailored to each individual’s needs, circumstances and preferences. View a list of items covered in the Family Care benefit package. In order to assure access to services, MCOs develop and manage a comprehensive network of long-term care services and support, either through purchase of service contracts with providers, or by  direct service provision by MCO employees. MCOs are responsible for assuring and continually improving the quality of care and services consumers receive. MCOs receive a per person per month payment to manage care for their members, who may be living in their own homes, group living situations, or nursing facilities. Some highlights of the Family Care benefit are: When a person decides to enroll in Family Care, they become a member of a managed care organization (MCO). MCOs operate the Family Care program and provide or coordinate services in the Family Care benefit. The Family Care benefit combines funding and services from a variety of existing programs into one flexible long-term care benefit, tailored to each individual’s needs, circumstances and preferences. View a list of items covered in the Family Care benefit package. In order to assure access to services, MCOs develop and manage a comprehensive network of long-term care services and support, either through purchase of service contracts with providers, or by direct service provision by MCO employees. MCOs are responsible for assuring and continually improving the quality of care and services consumers receive. MCOs receive a per person per month payment to manage care for their members, who may be living in their own homes, group living situations, or nursing facilities. Some highlights of the Family Care benefit are: People Receive Services Where They Live. MCO members receive Family Care services where they live, which may be in their own home or supported apartment, or in alternative residential settings such as Residential Care Apartment Complexes, Community-Based Residential Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Nursing Homes, or Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. People Receive Interdisciplinary Case Management. Each member has support from an interdisciplinary team that consists of, at a minimum, a social worker/care manager and a Registered Nurse. Other professionals, as appropriate, also participate as members of the interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team conducts a comprehensive  assessment of the member’s needs, abilities, preferences and values with the consumer and his or her representative, if any. The assessment looks at areas such as activities of daily living, physical health, nutrition, autonomy and self-determination, communication, and mental health and cognition. People Participate in Determining the Services They Receive. Members or their authorized representatives take an active role with the interdisciplinary team in developing their care plans. MCOs provide support and information to assure members are making informed decisions about their needs and the services they receive. Members may also participate in the Self-Directed Supports component of Family Care, in which they have increased control over their long-term care budgets and providers. People Receive Family Care Services that Include: Long-Term Care Services that have traditionally been part of the Medicaid Waiver programs or the Community Options Program. These include services such as adult day care, home modifications, home delivered meals and supportive home care. Health Care Services that help people achieve their long-term care outcomes. These services include home health, skilled nursing, mental health services, and occupational, physical and speech therapy. For Medicaid recipients, health care services not included in Family Care are available through the Medicaid fee-for-service program. People Receive Help Coordinating Their Primary Health Care. In addition to assuring that people get the health and long-term care services in the Family Care benefit package, the MCO interdisciplinary teams also help members coordinate all their health care, including, if needed, helping members get to and communicate with their physicians and helping them manage their treatments and medications. People Receive Services to Help Achieve Their Employment Objectives. Services such as daily living skills training, day treatment, pre-vocational services and supported employment are included in the Family Care benefit package. Other Family Care services such as transportation and personal care also help people meet their employment goals. People Receive the Services that Best Achieve Their Outcomes. The MCO is not restricted to providing only the specific services listed in the Family Care benefit package. The MCO interdisciplinary care management team and the member may decide that other services, treatments or supports are  more likely to help the member achieve his or her outcomes, and the MCO would then authorize those services in the member’s care plan. For a complete list of the services that must be offered by MCOs, refer to the description of the long-term care benefit package in the Health and Community Supports Contract. People Receive Services Where They Live. MCO members receive Family Care services where they live, which may be in their own home or supported apartment, or in alternative residential settings such as Residential Care Apartment Complexes, Community-Based Residential Facilities, Adult Family Homes, Nursing Homes, or Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. People Receive Interdisciplinary Case Management. Each member has support from an interdisciplinary team that consists of, at a minimum, a social worker/care manager and a Registered Nurse. Other professionals, as appropriate, also participate as members of the interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team conducts a comprehensive assessment of the member’s needs, abilities, preferences and values with the consumer and his or her representative, if any. The assessment looks at areas such as activities of daily living, physical health, nutrition, autonomy and self-determination, communication, and mental health and cognition. People Participate in Determining the Services They Receive. Members or their authorized representatives take an active role with the interdisciplinary team in developing their care plans. MCOs provide support and information to assure members are making informed decisions about their needs and the services they receive. Members may also participate in the Self-Directed Supports component of Family Care, in which they have increased control over their long-term care budgets and providers. People Receive Family Care Services that Include: Long-Term Care Services that have traditionally been part of the Medicaid Waiver programs or the Community Options Program. These include services such as adult day care, home modifications, home delivered meals and supportive home care. Health Care Services that help people achieve their long-term care outcomes. These services include home health, skilled nursing, mental health services, and occupational, physical and speech therapy. For Medicaid recipients, health care services not included in Family Care are available through the Medicaid fee-for-service program. People Receive Help Coordinating Their Primary Health Care. In addition to assuring that people get the health and long-term care services in the Family Care benefit package, the MCO interdisciplinary teams also help members coordinate all their health care, including, if needed, helping members get to and communicate with their physicians and helping them manage their treatments and medications. People Receive Services to Help Achieve Their Employment Objectives. Services such as daily living skills training, day treatment, pre-vocational services and supported employment are included in the Family Care benefit package. Other Family Care services such as transportation and personal care also help people meet their employment goals. People Receive the Services that Best Achieve Their Outcomes. The MCO is not restricted to providing only the specific services listed in the Family Care benefit package. The MCO interdisciplinary care management team and the member may decide that other services, treatments or supports are more likely to help the member achieve his or her outcomes, and the MCO would then authorize those services in the member’s care plan. For a complete list of the services that must be offered by MCOs, refer to the description of the long-term care benefit package in the Health and Community Supports Contract. A managed care organization (MCO) is a health care provider or a group of association of medical examination providers who proposes accomplished health plans. It is a health group that bonds with insurers or self-insured employers and funds and provides health care by means of a definite provider system and precise facilities and products. An MCO is an insurer that delivers both healthcare amenities and payment on behalf of services. They offer a comprehensive range of quality and managed health care services to the joined employees by keeping medical charges down through preventive medicine, patient teaching, and in additional ways. These organizations are certified by the director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). MCOs vary in their constitution as some organizations are made of physicians, while others are combinations of physicians, hospitals, and other providers. For instance, a group practice without walls, independent practice association, management services organization, and a physician practice management company are the common MCO’s.

Adlerian Theory Essay Example for Free

Adlerian Theory Essay Theory (1093) , Mark Twain (437) , Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (281) , The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (251) , Huckleberry Finn (248) , Better (179) , Effect (38) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints ? Introduction and Rationale School counselors work with students in academic development, social and emotional skill development, and college/career development. Their work supports student success through education in these domains, improvement of skills, reduction of stress, and improvement in mental health functioning. As I read the article, School Counseling Outcome: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Interventions, I couldn’t help but realize the importance of continued research on the effectiveness of school counseling interventions. This article focuses on the effectiveness of an array of school counseling interventions and not solely on individual and group counseling. The primary aim of this research was to review various literature pieces that relate to school counseling and identify their outcome and implications to the practice of school counseling. In this study, Meta-analysis 1 involved treatment control comparisons and Meta-analysis 2 involved pretest-posttest differences. The overall average weighted effect size for school counseling interventions was .30. The study examined whether relevant moderator variables influenced effect sizes. The pretest-posttest size was not significant, so moderator analyses were conducted on treatment control comparisons. Analyses of moderator variables indicated school counseling program activities or interventions varied in effectiveness A meta-analysis of school counseling outcome research found an overall effect size of .30. Students who participated in the interventions improved almost a third of the standard deviation more than their peers who did not receive the interventions. In other words, school counseling interventions have a larger effect size than aspirin for preventing heart attacks (ES of .06) and an equivalent effect size to sertoline (Zoloft) compared to placebo, for  treating major depressive disorder (ES of .31). (Whiston & Quimby, 2009). The use of meta-analysis offers some weakness on the research which is actually a common thing for meta-analytic researches. This results from the fact that the effect size’s quality is dependant on the quality of research and accuracy. Sampling inaccurate of ineffective research cases may also render the meta-analytic research weak due to the weakness of the researches sampled. The meta-analytic research may also be stronger due to the fact that it samples a mean of similar variables under various researches and thus providing an average that is a true representative of all researches. In order to improve the meta-analytic exercise it is good to first make an analysis of the article and ensure that they are classified appropriately and their content has high validity so that they may not negatively affect the analysis (Sexton, L.T., & Whiston, S., 1998). A meta-analysis of school counseling research (117 studies, 153 school counseling interventions, and 16, 296 students) found an overall effect size of .30. The authors found that students who participated in school counseling interventions tended to score on various outcome measures about a third of a standard deviation above those who did not receive the interventions. School counseling interventions produced quite large effect sizes in the areas of discipline, problem-solving, and increasing career knowledge. The effect sizes were smaller, but significant, related to school counseling interventions’ impact on academic achievement. Surprisingly little school counseling research was found related to individual counseling. Concerning guidance curriculum, small groups were more effective than interventions that involved entire classrooms. Outcome research reflects that group counseling can be effective with students who are experiencing problems and difficulties. School counselors can improve the climate in their schools. They can also draw from a vast array of interventions that will help students increase  their academic achievement (Brown, 1999). One intervention that has been used for more than a quarter of a century is behavioral contracts. Behavioral contracts must have specific objectives, set attainable short-term goals, be monitored regularly, allow for immediate reinforcement, and be adjusted when they are not promoting the desired change. Other direct interventions frequently employed by school counselors include study skills groups, time management training, classroom guidance units aimed at improving test taking skills, and achievement motivation groups. Achievement motivation groups are led by the counselor, but involve input from the teachers and support for increased achievement from the students in the group. When students have educational and career goals, they do better in school. Counselors can facilitate the development of educational and personal goals by engaging students in individual and group activities that focus on goal setting. Some school counselors routinely ask students about interests, educational plans, and occupational goals and record these in their portfolios as one way of emphasizing the importance of goal setting. Research supports what educators have long understood: parent involvement is an important factor in student achievement (Brown, 1999). Parents who have a high level of commitment to their children, set high standards, maintain a stable home environment, and support achievement, have children who do better in school. Counselors can involve parents through parent consultation, parent education classes that teach parents how to support their children in schools as well as parenting skills, and by advocating for parents and students when students are not treated fairly by the educational establishment. They can also help keep the parents of children who are having difficulty in school apprised of their children’s progress by encouraging teachers to communicate more frequently with parents than once per grading period. School counselors are under pressure to assist in the effort to increase student achievement. They can respond to this challenge by working to improve the school climate, using direct interventions such as teaching study skills and involving students in achievement motivation groups, and by increasing the involvement of parents in the educational process. As our culture and educational institutions change, school counseling practices are emerging to better meet the needs of today’s students. Brown, D (1999). Proven strategies for improving learning and academic achievement. Greensboro, NC: CAPS Publications Sexton, L.T., and Whiston, S.C. (1998). A review of school counseling outcome research: Implications for practice. Journal of Counseling and Development volume 76, issue number pp 412-426. Whiston & Quinby (2009). Review of school counseling research. Psychology in the Schools 46(3), 267-272. Schatzberg & Nemeroff (2009). Textbook of Pyschopharmacology. Arlington, VA: The American Psychiatric Publisher. Whiston, Susan C; Wendi, Lee Tai; Rahardja, Daryn; Eder, Kelly. Journal of Counseling and Development. Winter 2011. Vol. 89. Issue 1, p. 37-55. Adlerian Theory. (2016, Apr 30).